1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and more particularly to a new and improved apparatus and process of applying relatively high frequency and high intensity pulses of electrical energy to the skin of a patient in order to obtain improved medical results such as blocking pain for a traumatic or medical procedure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a well known medical treatment used for symptomatic relief and management of chronic intractable pain, and as an adjunctive treatment in the management of post surgical and post traumatic acute pain. TENS involves the application of electrical pulses to the skin of a patient. Electrodes are located at selected locations on the patient's skin and the electrical energy is transferred between the two electrodes. The electrical energy is usually applied in the form of mild, electrical impulses. The impulses pass through the skin and interact with the nerves that lie underneath the skin. The electrical impulses act on the nervous system in such a way as to suppress the sensation of pain that would otherwise serve as a protective mechanism. As a symptomatic treatment, TENS has proven to effectively reduce pain for patients suffering from chronic or acute pain. TENS has no capacity for curing the cause of the pain, but simply interacts with the nervous system to suppress or relieve the pain.
The typical TENS system includes the TENS stimulator, lead wires and electrodes which are connected to the skin of the patient. The TENS stimulator is, in effect, an electrical pulse generator which delivers the electrical pulses or impulses at a predetermined fixed or selectable frequency. Typical prior TENS frequency treatment ranges have been in terms of hundreds of pulses per second. In many cases, the treatment frequency is fixed by the design of the electrical pulse generator, or is established as a preselected, generally arbitrary rate at the time of treatment. Most typical TENS pulse generators allow adjustment of the intensity or amplitude of the pulses delivered. The typical intensity ranges in the neighborhood of less than 100 volts peak to peak. The electrical impulses applied have taken a variety of different forms. For example, symmetrical sinusoidal wave forms, symmetrical biphasic wave forms and DC needle spikes have all been applied in various TENS treatments. Each of the wave forms are believed to offer some advantage, although there has been no clear previous consensus that any particular type of wave form is more advantageous than another type.
Furthermore, the prior TENS has typically been used for pain reduction rather than as an analgesic or painblocker in order to allow the performance of a traumatic or medical procedure upon a patient and there has been a long felt need for an analgesic or pain-blocker for certain medical procedures. For example, the use of electrolysis to remove hair from a patient's upper lip typically is painful to a patient and causes swelling. It is typical for a patient to only be able to tolerate from a few seconds to several minutes of electrolysis. Similarly, pain, discomfort and anxiety are common in electrolysis for hair removal in many anatomical sites in the human body.
It is against this background information, and other information, that the present invention has resulted.